Thursday, 30 July 2015

Cheapest Way to Travel In Japan

Walking In Japan

Walking in Japan is unavoidable. Cars and taxis are seldom used in the
large cities, especially for the budget traveler. Most people use
trains. Here is my article about sleeping on trains in Japan and how to use trains as a source of free accommodation.You will be walking from shops to trains stations, up and down
subway levels sometimes 5 stories deep, and around large department
stores. You will be walking a lot, so be prepared physically and
mentally. Plan where you’re going, know how long it will take. Wear
appropriate clothing for hot or cold weather, and wear good walking
shoes. Get good nights sleep and eat well. Bring food and water in a
comfortable backpack. Bring a collapsible umbrella incase it rains. If
you have a GPS device use it when unsure of which direction to go.

Kansai Telecasting Corporation Near Ogimachi Station Osaka Japan

The Best Way to Find Interesting Places In Japan

Walking is the best way to find interesting places, and it’s the
cheapest way to travel through the cities. Walking will give you the
opportunity to discover more, photograph interesting things, meet more
people and learn the area. It will give you the opportunity to learn
where the best restaurants are, the cheapest shops and to orientate
yourself with the layout of the cities. When to walk and when not to
walk comes down to good planning of your schedule. I would often walk to
save money and at the same time I would get many of the rewards listed
above.

Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Osaka Japan

How To Save Money On Trains In Japan

When travelling by train I would often get off two or three stations
before my destination. It may save 200 or 300 yen. Some train lines run
in the same direction parallel to each other about a mile or two apart.
Walking over to the other line can be a time and money saving way to
switch train lines, as you don’t need to ride the train to where the
lines link back up and then ride the train line back down in the
opposite direction to reach your destination. So learn your train lines,
the prices to each destination and how much you will save if you get
off a station or two earlier.

Do you ever walk to save money on trains?

Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Meat Shop Osaka Japan

Use GPS to Prevent Getting Lost

Soon after arriving in Japan I was at a friends house in the suburbs of
east Osaka. The entire suburb was filled with narrow laneways that cars
had no access to. I was given directions on how to return to the train
station. I set out an hour before the last train for the night. I
quickly lost my direction everything looked the same, and soon became
completely lost. I walked in circles for over two hours before finding
my friends house again. Thus I missed the last train home that night. If
I had a GPS I would have been fine.

Ogimachi Park Osaka Japan

Walking Around Osaka

I
also often walk my entire route when in the inner city of Osaka if I
have time. The inner city of Osaka from Umeda in the north to Namba in
the south is only 4.2km, which can be covered on foot in about one hour.
From Nanba, through to Shinsaibashi and then up to Tenjinbashi Roku
Chome in the north is the longest Shotengai (undercover shopping
laneway) in Japan. It stretches for miles and is full of many
interesting people and shops. Here is more information about Tenjinbashi
on the official Osaka tourist website: http://www.osaka-info.jp/en/ofc/201101/http://www.osaka-info.jp/en/ofc/201101/.

Kansai Telecasting Corporation Near Ogimachi Station Osaka Japan

Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Osaka Japan

Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Ten 4 Osaka Japan

Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Ten 3 Osaka Japan

Okawa River Near Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Osaka Japan

Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Small Door Osaka Japan

Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Ten 3 Osaka Japan

Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Temple Osaka Japan

Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Ten 1 Osaka Japan

Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Ten 6 Osaka Japan

Shop till you drop on the longest shopping arcade in Japan

Tenjinbashi Shoutengai Walking Route

The most common shops found in a Japanese shotengai

supermarkets and grocery stores

restaurants and cafes

izakaya snack bars

pachinko parlors

massage parlors

barber shops

game centers

post offices

book shops

clothing stores

convenience stores

neighborhood police substations

To summarize, don’t walk when you need to save time, as your holiday is nodoubt bound to a limited time schedule. However, I recommend you set aside time to walk long distances, I promise you will have a rewarding experience from it.

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